Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Something a little different today, in as much as I am not featuring any particular band, but a record label that I have fallen in love with. Sunny Day Records in Spain has a stable of bands that is so impressive, it is hard not to love them.

I asked Sunny Day to tell me a bit about their label and I shall also introduce you to some of their own signings like Angel Kaplan (featured above) whose album has become the staple diet of my summer listening.

Sunny Day is a small
independent record label founded in the summer of 2009 by two stupid guys in
the middle of nowhere, Cáceres, a small quiet beautiful town on the way from
Madrid to Lisbon, with no musical tradition or love for rock’n’roll, you know ,
the perfect place to be ignored by everybody.

The label was founded by my
mate Rafa and myself, Juan. Rafa has been running (and he still does) the only vinyl
records shop within 300 kms for more than 13 years, a real survivor in such
a non r’n’r place as this. I’ve been involved in the Spanish mod/6t’s scene for
a long time too, organising gigs, dj-ing and writing fanzines. We are both still
involved in this adventure and hopefully will be for many years more.

The label has three clear targets: we want to release those
records which, as music fans, we'd like to buy, give a chance to new bands and
support vinyl.

What
kind of sounds do we dig? Soul, Garage, Powerpop, Rock'n'Roll, Beat, R'n'B, Psychedelia, Punk-Rock, Boogaloo, Reggae... we are open to all kind of “classic”
50’s, 60’s 70’s inspired sounds, as long as we dig it and we see the band takes
their music serious, let’s do it.

We
have released9 records so far
(all of them can be found at sunnydayspain.bandcamp.com) in Sunny Day, though
we also have two in-house labels, Sweet Grooves & Bickerton Rds (the first
one exclusively run by Rafa, the second one by me) which has also released
Spanish punk-pop band Brackets’ first lp and The Dealers’ killer debut 7”.

<a href="http://sunnydayspain.bandcamp.com/track/why-her">Why Her? by THE RIGHT NOWS</a>

By
the way on the 19th and 20th October we are the Sunny Day Festival in Madrid, 2
days featuring our best bands along with guest groups and djs…if you wanna join you’re more than welcome.

So, there it is, an introduction to one of my favourite record labels out there, doing it for the love of the music and for our pleasure and entertainment.Sunny Day Records doesn't only sell records by their own signings, but many others as well, so please check out their bands and their store.

Thanks to Sunny Day Records for all the information......and all the great music of course!

Monday, July 30, 2012

To celebrate the 1 year anniversary of their album "Above The Blue" those lovely folk Vegas with Randolph are giving their new single away on Bandcamp and they also have a special price of 5 bucks on their "Above The Blue" and "Vegas with Randolph" albums. Go get 'em!

<a href="http://vegaswithrandolph.bandcamp.com/track/salt-water-taffy">Salt Water Taffy by Vegas With Randolph</a>

Friday, July 27, 2012

Single number 7 in the single a month for a year series from Phenomenal Cat, "Life by The Seaside" has it all, echoes of the The Beatles, well, a sustained note like "Day In The Life" and outro that has the feel of The Jam's "English Rose" and some Teenage Fanclubesque harmonies and glokenspiel/xylophone and I rate this as one of the best tracks the band have released, which is a real credit to the band given the quality of the previous releases.
I hope that a record label has the initiative to sign this band and press their 12 songs onto vinyl/CD and give them the opportunity and incentive to release much, much more, there is a real quality to this band that seriously shouldn't be over looked!

<a href="http://phenomenalcat.bandcamp.com/track/life-by-the-seaside">Life by the Seaside by Phenomenal Cat</a>

Thursday, July 26, 2012

I wonder where "Gooey" got their name from? Whilst some of the songs on this superb album are love songs, they are not exactly gooey love songs, so maybe I don't want to know where the name comes from after all? The name of the album is "Hold On Tight" which is a very apt title, this is a real Power Pop racer, with well written, melodic, catchy and infectious songs!

<a href="http://gooey.bandcamp.com/track/watch-out">Watch Out by Gooey</a>

My name is Juan. I love all kinds of music. I like to write songs. John is my friend. He plays a lot of instruments. He hears music in his head. A long time ago, I told John that I was learning to play the guitar. He told me to go away. A few years later, I told John that I was writing songs. He told me that he was busy. I forgot to mention that John is grumpy. Once in a while, I would pick up the guitar when John was around and I would play something that I had written. John would pretend that he wasn’t listening. I knew that he was. One day John told me that he liked my songs and that we should record them.

These are my songs. This is our band. This is Gooey.

<a href="http://gooey.bandcamp.com/track/thank-you">Thank You by Gooey</a>

Whilst playing this I heard echoes of Bowie and a less well known band The Man From Delmonte from back in the late 80's, this really is a fun and uplifting album and what is more, it is totally free, although I am sure that the band have physical copies of the album for those who like to adourn their collections with a few nuggets of great power pop!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Another truly superb band from the record label that brought us Angel Kaplan, Los Immediatos and Los Impossibles and other great bands, The Shake are dripping in sixties sound and style, knocking out tunes that wouldn't be out of place amongst The Small Faces, The Action, The Allusions, Powder etc, this is a band that have caught the essence of an era for our delight and pleasure!

<a href="http://sunnydayspain.bandcamp.com/track/bring-some-lovin">Bring Some Lovin' by THE SHAKE</a>

Deeply in love with beat, garage, pop and psychedelia from the 60′s and
subsequent decades, The Shake have always stood a step ahead of the rest
of bands in the 60′s scene due to their never-ending talent to create
beautifully crafted songs that go farther than the basic structures and
guitar riffs, as well as their unique, neat, hypnotic sound.

The Shake Live.

With their debut lp “Tripping The Whole Colourful World” (Rainbow
Quartz/Flor & Nata 2006), critics and fans on both sides of the
Atlantic agreed on praising their virtues. That record amazed all those
who listened to it and took them to the most important 60′s meetings in
Spain, Purple Weekend, Go! Lleida, Festimod.... as well as to the
International Pop Overthrow in Liverpool, where they could perform at
the Cavern Club.

Can't fight your loving from the album Trippin' the Whole Colourful World (2007)

Later they published their first 45 (Hey Girl! Rds 2008) showing us their dirtiest and wildest side, close to garage-punk.

Now they are back full of energy (see them live and you′ll wet your
underpants!) with new exciting recordings where British-flavoured pop,
garage & psyche are seasoned with black music influences... A
cocktail for select tastes.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Jeff from the Smiling Strangers very kindly sent me a copy of the bands last CD called "Full Circle," an album which is a pleasant blend of 3 minute pop songs, not strictly power pop (if you have a definition of that?) but great, well written lyrics bolstered by great music, I guess you could call it Power Pop, folk infused...........hey, take a listen instead, I am certainly enjoying this album!

The Smiling Strangers was
an idea by Jeff Reynolds. They were formed in early 2004 and after some
pleading, arm-twisting, favour-calling and hours slaving over an
acoustic guitar and drum machine, the project was born. So far they have
released:
Dangerous Times (2004)
Space Graces and Smiling Faces (2006)
All The Way (2007)
To Think It`s Come To This (2009)
Full Circle (2011)

Friday, July 20, 2012

For those of you, like me, who love Hammond fueled beat music, you need to check this band out, this is classic 60's sounding music at its very best.

STEREOSCOPE JERK EXPLOSION was born out of the whimsical imagination of a girl, Marie Julie, an organist passionate about Sixties music and graphics. To carry out her project, she appealed to some friends, musicians coming from the Strawberry Smell & The Cryptones, involved for a long time in the jerk & french 60's beat scene.

Since 2004, the band has been performing in many venues, opening gigs before Big Boss Man, James Taylor Quartet or before Mike Painter & The Family Shakers at the Sunslice Festival.

In 2005, they've realised their two first 7" on the new label Les Disques Cosmic Groove: one special Sitar SITARMANIA /L'HOMME GRENOUILLE, one special Hammond LA PANTHERE POP/ PROMENADE DES BRITISH with colorful pop art sleeves, 4 late 60's influenced instrumental grooves full of hammond, sitar, moog, fuzz or wah-wah guitar and a catchy rythm section.

In 2007, they were back with fuelled force for two new 7" on Les Disques Cosmic Groove. This time one is special Fuzz JERK A LA VAGUE / FUZZ PARTY, one special Moog BUMBLEBEE / MOOG TRAFFIC

For these tunes, the band has gain in maturity and the sound is more explosive and powerful than ever with the addition of horns, vocals or theremin.
Now the first album of STEREOSCOPE JERK EXPLOSION is just finished. It’s a concept album made like an original soundtrack of the film LA PANTHERE POP.

Album Teaser.

It includes 21 songs, played in different moods like 60's psychedelic, sitar beat, garage, cinematic, lounge or even bossa nova, but always with catchy pop themes, and a touch of modern sound.
New instruments and some additionnal musicians like Chris Joss come to supplement this fantastic album accompanied by a booklet including a complete scenario (in french and english) based on the name of the tracks, and the storyboard of the film in comic strip.

Marie Julie and other members from Steeroscope Jerk Explosion have another band called "Cucumber" which plays in a similar style, you can check them out their new album "The Frech Job." Listen here: Cucumber

And if you find, like me, you can't get enough, Stereoscope Jerk Explosion have several 7" single for sale as well as a new album in the pipeline, which, at present has no release date set.....so keep 'em peeled! Don't worry, I will let you know when it is released ;)

Thursday, July 19, 2012

This is a fine EP, among the influences listed are Blur, The Breeders, Matthew Sweet etc, but you can safely add to that Super Furry Animals and many more great bands, that, is not to say that the songs or music lack originality in anyway whatsoever. This EP, or Mini Album of six tracks is remarkably immediate and extremely well produced, the more I listen, the more I love it and I am sure that you will too!

Sam Page climbing to dizzy heights!

Sam Page is an unsigned singer/songwriter whose guitar-driven pop/rock
combines upbeat grooves and powerful rockers. There is no electronica in
his music – just a raucous (albeit melodic) mix of guitars, bass,
percussion and vocals. After releasing a home-recorded EP in January
2011, Sam formed a band and did 20 gigs in southern California. He then
released a second EP (Waiting for Another Spring) in April 2012 that seems to resonate with fans of Matthew Sweet, Jack White, Sam Roberts, The Breeders, Blur, and CAKE.

What others are saying:

"Much like the rest of the EP, 'Pass Me By' has a fun swing to it,
complete with heavy distortion and happy riffs. It has a power popish
feel ... like Weezer." -- Audio Splash (June 19, 2012)

"Instantly hummable songs ... Page stands out among the DIY indie
hopefuls with his knack for songwriting and creating a full sound on a
shoestring budget."-- Here Comes The Flood (June 10, 2012)

"It conjures up good weather and good times, so you can put off waiting
for spring with Page’s own sunny melodies and laid back vocals, almost
Jack Johnson style. But in songs like Lottery and Like@FirstSite, it’s
mixed with loud and infectious riffs reminiscent of The White Stripes." -- Anastasia Aboim, New Reviews (June 2012)

"I really love the sounds and production on [Lottery]. The vocals reminded me a little of Beck in places." --Rathole Radio (May 27, 2012)

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Futureman Records is one of those rarest of breed record labels where all profits go straight to the band, in fact the label was set up to promote good music and support the artists, this deserves our attention and support in order to help artists to continue to produce the music we love.

"Please Don't Eat The Daisies" is twenty
songs recorded over twenty years (1988-2008). These homemade bedroom
demos and studio recordings have been revived and made public here for
the very first time by Futureman Records. If you need convincing of the quality of this, take a look at the artists featured on this recording!

Other records on the label are "The New Sell Out" by Various artists in a tribute to The Who and the "Sell Out" album which contains some real gems of covers.

Put together 12 years ago and gathering cobwebs ever since, The New Sell
Out is finally out! Dedicated to Rick McBrien, the soul of Futureman.
Thanks to every contributing artist and everyone who worked on this!
Special thanks to Shawn Wolfe and Hans Martin-Buff! Full liner notes
and artwork included in download.

An artist that doesn't really need an introduction is the amazing Michael Carpenter who has an album of covers, SOOP (Songs of other people) on the Futureman label, these are brilliant covers, many of which I had not heard before, but will be playing plenty from now on.

Some highlights from Michael Carpenter's amazing collection of covers records! Head over to michaelcarpenter.bandcamp.com for the full collections along with his amazing originals.

Finally, for now, The What Gives, a band that had somehow passed me by until now and if they have also passed you by up until this point, you can rectify that now as this is a sterling piece of work that needs to be heard.

Recorded in various sessions during the late 90s at what was then Red
House Recording in Eudora, Ks. Principals were Jon Harrison on guitar
and keyboards, Bret Dillingham on Drums and Stephen Naron on Bass. Bret
and Jon sang. Dan Berchenko played guitar on "Right as Rain" and
probably something else. Kit Cole played the string section on
"Friends." Tawni Freeland-Crider contributed some backing vocals. Ed
Rose played a bit of guitar and other tasty treats, as well as recording
and co-producing with the band.

There are more artists being added to Futureman Records, if you would like to keep up to speed with who is being added, then join their facebook page and support the record label that supports the artists!

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Kaams eagerly awaited album has landed, and, as was expected, is full of pulsating, rocking garage beats.

Hailing from Bergamo, Italy, this is a band that have obviously fed on a staple diet of the greatest garage/beat bands out there and their debut album has earned a place up there with the best of them.

Started as a duo piece by Andrea Carminati (vocals/guitar) and Marcello Giannelli (drums), the band released its first Ep “She’s a Killer” in march 2010 on Bedo Records/Dirty Water Digit Records. At the end of the same year a new 7'' split titled "Chose Your Coffin - The Kaams vs The Monolithics" was released on Boss Hoss Records and distributed by Area Pirata. After several line-up changes Andrea has finally met the right mates: Marco Facheris (guitar), Alberto Mafessoni (bass) and Tiziano Carozzi (drums).

This is a fantastic debut album from one of the finest bands in Italy and certainly a heavyweight contender within the scene worldwide, if you like raw, arse kicking, rock 'n' roll beats, then these guys should be adourning your turn table before every night out, hell, play it before breakfast and make every day great!!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

I wasn't really sure what to expect from an album and band called "Boys School," but then I remembered that I should never have expectations as I am often left dissapointed, fortunately, this was not to be the case here, in fact I was pleasantly surprised.

This album is a sparkling piece of work with ballads sitting comfortably besides more up-tempo numbers and a cover of Abba's S.O.S. Sometimes you get a hint of Brett Farkas influences, think Elvis Costello, T-Rex and The Jam and you are some way there to understanding what this album is all about. This is a blinding album, full of stompers and a couple of superb ballads. Go take a listen!

When do the girls get here?

Known for his uniquely prominent and wide spanned style of guitar
playing within the LA music scene for the likes of Lord Huron, Amnion
(with former Magnetic Zero Aaron Embry) and soul legend, Solomon Burke,
Detroit native Brett Farkas steps up to the front and assembles his own
clever cast to deliver a half hour fun-ride of sneering rock and roll,
addictive pop and thoughtful ballads. Boys School's self titled
debut album flows with immense energy, original attitude and lyrical
honesty while paying tribute to a rich inspiration of early rock n roll,
70's glam and punk, classic soul music, 90's college radio and the traditional songsmith.

For those of you who like your Power Pop tinged with some grating guitars and powerful vocals, you couldn't do much better than check out the wonderful "Deco Auto" from Kansas City MO.

Drawing influences from the likes of Superdrag, Superchunk and Oranger, these guys knock out some really cool supercharged music and if this EP is any indication of what the band can do, then we can hopefully look forward to a fuel injected, V6 growling album sometime soon in the future.

The band have several packages available when you purchase the CD EP, you can buy just the download if you wish, but for those of you who want a physical copy, you have the option for a limited edition Deco Auto print and a cd or a cd and an ultra cool T-shirt, both packages include a vinyl sticker, all available from the bands bandcamp page.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Eytan Mirsky delivers his fifth album, which, like his previous releases is chock full of pop nuggets.

Eytan's albums are always so consistent, this, his fifth in a career that has spanned 16 years is no exception as Eytan shows he still has a deftness for writing a catchy tune to back his lyrical content, which at times reminds me of Elvis Costello. Yes, the songs are that good!

Eytan is known mainly for his original contributions to film soundtracks, including the title songs for critically acclaimed films Happiness, sung by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, and American Splendor, in which he himself appeared singing the theme. He also contributed three songs to the film The Tao of Steve, including the title song and “(I Just Wanna Be) Your Steve McQueen.” Other films to which Mirsky has contributed music are Palindromes, The Company and Desert Blue.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://eytanmirsky.bandcamp.com/album/year-of-the-mouse"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Year of the Mouse by Eytan Mirsky&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Friday, July 13, 2012

The Seasongs debut album is now out and not only does it come wrapped up in a well crafted colourful piece of artwork by Oscar Herrero but the music contained within is also well crafted and colourful too!
The album fires into life with the song "New Love" which is a perfect example of power pop at its finest and the album continues to mesmerise you with songs that have a hint of past greats such as The Kinks, Beatles, Who, even some early Simon and Garfunkel in places, all delivered with attitude and style.
This is a fantastic debut album from a band that promises to go from strength to strength delivering jangly, upbeat, hook laden songs, go listen and enjoy!

Photo: Lisa Monetti

The Seasongs are a Power-pop band from Spain, with a little mixture of folk and psychedelia in their sound, influenced by bands like The Who, Kinks, Beatles, David Bowie, Byrds, The La's and many others.They've been playing as The Seasongs since 2003 , though the origin of the band begins in 2000 with a garage band called Piso99 (99th Floor).They've got one album (2012) and 4 self EPs released (2003, 2005, 2006 and 2009), and some of their stuff have appeared in 2 compilations of the Spanish fanzine BonVivant Records.
&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://theseasongs.bandcamp.com/track/new-love-3"&amp;amp;amp;gt;New love by The Seasongs&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;Their first LP titled "Out of the city" has been recorded and mixed by Pepe Bermejo (bass player in The Happy Losers and Mamá) between 2011 and 2012 and mastered by Fausto Martin (guitarist and singer in The Winnerys and Riffbackers) in 2012

Photo: Lisa Monetti

Along these years, they have performed in many gigs, supporting both international and Spanish bands like Cooper, Ugly Beats, Wiretree, Dropkick, Squire, The Village Green Experience (Kinks cover band leaded by Spanish musician José Casas), Javier Polo (one of the members of The Winnerys), Zinedines, Los Sentíos, Holdens, Alien in love, Bang 74, etc.

The Seasongs have participated in three editions of the famous power-pop festival International Pop Overthrow in Liverpool (from 2010 to 2012).

Contact Ice Cream Man

If you are a musician or in a band and you would like your band/music featured on the radio show, then please send me an e mail. The primary purpose of the show is to aid promotion of new bands. We look forward to hearing from you.icecreammanpowerpop@hotmail.com

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